I have made significant progress on the next pair of Holiday ‘08 socks.  I’m trying to figure out how to add images w/out using the dang-blasted ‘gallery’ cuz I don’t want a ‘gallery’…..I just want one picture at a time.  Darnit. 

Woodsmans Socks

I’ll bet you were worried that I couldn’t learn anymore.  Because of my advanced age.  But I surprised myself and, actually, learned two (count’em 2!) new techniques in one day!

These new techniques were necessary for the making of the gorgeous Gretel beret.  I don’t have pictures of the beret that I knit (it was gifted immediately upon finishing), but imagine this pretty cabled beret knit up in this:

dyed cotton

It’s Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Organic Cotton.  So pretty.  So soft.

Okay, so onto the new techniques.  The first is the Tubular Cast On.  Now, I totally avoid anything that requires me to use scrap yarn and remove it later.  I e-hat that.  It seems like a waste of time, to me.  Evidently, I’m not the only one, because Ysolda, the designer of the Gretel beret has an awesome tutorial for doing a Tubular Cast-On without the use of heinous scrap yarn.  Hereit is.   Thank you, Ysolda…for the pattern and the tutorial.

Next, we have the technique of cabling without a cable needle.  I have been aware of this shortcut for awhile.  It just freaked me out that I would have to pull my needles out of my knitting and reinsert them.  There was just so much potential for disaster (translation:dropping stitches) that I couldn’t bring myself to even try it.  But, with so much cabling in this project – and having, successfully, tried the tubular cast-on – I decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a shot.  Grumperina does such a great job walking you through it.  I was so dumb not to have tried this before.  Jeeze. 

I can’t say how much I appreciate the people who go to the trouble of documenting such techniques and making them available to those of us in need.  Anyway, my beret is off to you!

I’ve decided that, if I can make one pair per week, I can knit everyone a pair of socks.  Here are the first ones.  The footie is the Florida Footie from ColorJoy.  A great pattern that I will probably make again.  The yarn is my favorite, Blue Moon Fiber Arts, colorway Christmas Balls, in heavyweight.  A dream.  The second pair of socks are the Woodsman Socks by Elizabeth Zimmerman.  The pattern can be found in several of her books, but I used the version in The Opinionated Knitter.  The yarn is Briggs & Little Tuffy.  Very rugged and masculine.  They will be perfect for cutting wood.  The third pair was finished last night.  They are the Log Cabin Socks from the book Handknit Holidays.  The yarn is Briggs & Little Regal in a very pale blue.  Again, a rugged yarn, but worked in a feminine cabled pattern.  Lovely. 

This blog is going to be secret.  That is, my personal blog just isn’t a good place to write about my knitting.  Especially since I am doing lots of Christmas knitting……for my family.  So, consider yourself special.  You have been let in on the big secret.